Tristar
Pattern Altitude
We had the great opportunity to visit FedEx's flight operations in Memphis, TN. One of my fellow flight student's father is a Assistant Chief Pilot for FedEx's major hub so he invited my flight club for college to come visit. I'm not quite sure how to describe my first reaction other than simply awesome!!
Ten of us drove seven hours to Memphis on saturday in a borrowed bus. The trip itself with friends is fun of course but the actual tour wasn't until this morning. We woke up and were ready to go at around 7 this morning for our FedEx experience. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it had to be something serious considering all of us went through a background check and two driver's lincense ID checks before allowed to much of anything. The first stop was going to be the flight simulator labs.
The flight simulator labs are seperate from the other operations in its own buildings. Each simulator gets its own individual room and each one costs at least $1.5 million, about $500 per hour to operate. These aircraft are so high tech and real, they have their own real N number that must be inspected. We were then split into groups of two. I was in the first group. We were then escorted into the flight simulator which all of us fit with no problem. There were enough seats for four people (pilot, co-pilot, flight instructor, and someone watching). A few others had to just hold on! Our tour guide for the day turned on the graphics and motion. I will say the graphics absolutely stunned me at how realistic. In our sims at home, we have three computer screens and no matter how you move your head, it all looks the same. This one was designed to not matter how you looked. The screen itself simulated the size of a movie theater but you couldn't really see the edges. Even the stars, lights, mountains, and any other objects/sensations could really make you think you're in the real thing, which obviously is the idea. The first two of our group crawled into the cockpit. Our tour guide talked the "crew" through the set up for take off. Next was the take off which was my favorite!! The crew advanced the throttles which gave an immediate pull forward and the sense of being pushed back in your seat like a real take off in an airliner, we had to hold on! The aircraft reached Vr and pitched into an 18 degree climb which is nothing like any sim I've ever been in. We climbed up to 3,000 before making a turn for landing. Our tour guide helped them set it up for final. Each person was given an opportunity to fly it. I will admit that he set it up to make it easy. All you had to do is keep it pretty much centered, take a little power out, watch the PAPI and then flair a little when it called out 20 ft. Everyone was able to land it including me! The landing itself didn't seem like a problem but you forget that airplane sits 30 feet in the air. Your nose gear is 15ft behind you and your mains even further. When I was comming into land, the mains touched down and for a few seconds you're wondering, "did the nose come down yet?.......THUD....there it is!!" LOL And if you're not carefull it's a real THUD too! They didnt spare the details. The brakes are on the toes just like in a cessna. We were asked to stop the airplane after each landing so when you step on the brakes, everyone who isn't sitting down kind of needs to brace for it or they may fall a little forward. So much of that simulator messes with your mind! If you were just sitting there blind folded, you wouldn't have known the difference. I loved it!!
After the next group got their turn in the simulator, we headed out to the flight operations portion. Each pilot goes through a security check just like at an airport but its thier own security. The pilot must check in with a computer finger print. If they dont do this within a specific amount of time, they will call you over the speakers and give you a few minutes to check in. If not, such as you fell asleep or in the bathroom too long, you will get booted off the flight and immediatly replaced by another crew...which apparently sucks! So never be late to work! After that, you go into this huge room with many computers where your flight's paperwork is waiting for you according to your flight number's last two numbers. This tells you your many things including your route for the day/week. Then you look over weather and take care of anything that needs to be done before heading out to the aircraft. I will mention that FedEx provides many necessities to its pilots including many halls of personal rooms that include a twin bed and night stand all to yourself to catch some much needed sleep or just to "take the edge off" as he put it. Each pilot also has thier own individual locker, is provided a recreation room and places to just relax. After that, its out to the airplane!
The pilots are provided with FedEx vans out to thier airplane. We all jumped in one of the vans to take a tour of the ramp. Now this is no oridinary ramp, its 42 acres of A310s, A300s, MD's, and 727s. Nothing but blue tails as far as you could see! The hustle and bustle was aparent with FedEx shipping crates comming and going from all parts of the ramp, there were sorting areas and weighing and lifting of crates onto the airplanes. As we were driving down the edge of the ramp, an A310 taxied in and parked just ahead. That was pretty neat to see up close! After the engines stopped, our tour guide which was the same chief pilot, got out of the van and talked to one of the ground crew who are in charge of the aircraft after the pilots depart. Once the pilots deplaned, we were signaled to come up on board! I just couldn't believe they were going to let us come up and see the airplane after it had just completed this flight. Package crates were still on the aircraft! We hiked the thirty feet up to check out the cockpit. I was the first one to take the left seat, can't miss out on an opportunity like this! It was Exactly like the simulator we flew! Talk about impressive! I was grinning from ear to ear and so was everyone else. We all had questions about how things worked and what happend during flights. The ground crew opened up the cargo bay which was right behind the net where we were standing. I believe it was around 10 feet or so wide so you could see the entire wing of the A310 and its engine spinning in the wind. The Net btw, helps hold back any cargo that happens to come loose, it can hold up to 9 G's and if I remember right, is made out of silk!
Most of us would have loved to stay in the airplane longer and dream of what it would be like to fly such a large airplane with so much power at your finger tips, but the ground crew had work to be done to prepair for the next flight (they're in charge of the major pre-flight) and most of us were getting hungry anyways. So we jumped back in our little van and left the massive Airbus and its 42 acres of brothers and sisters. Its got to be incredible how they keep up with everyone's airplanes and packages!
Our group talked about the amazing experience all the way home, it will not be something we will soon forget.
Ten of us drove seven hours to Memphis on saturday in a borrowed bus. The trip itself with friends is fun of course but the actual tour wasn't until this morning. We woke up and were ready to go at around 7 this morning for our FedEx experience. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it had to be something serious considering all of us went through a background check and two driver's lincense ID checks before allowed to much of anything. The first stop was going to be the flight simulator labs.
The flight simulator labs are seperate from the other operations in its own buildings. Each simulator gets its own individual room and each one costs at least $1.5 million, about $500 per hour to operate. These aircraft are so high tech and real, they have their own real N number that must be inspected. We were then split into groups of two. I was in the first group. We were then escorted into the flight simulator which all of us fit with no problem. There were enough seats for four people (pilot, co-pilot, flight instructor, and someone watching). A few others had to just hold on! Our tour guide for the day turned on the graphics and motion. I will say the graphics absolutely stunned me at how realistic. In our sims at home, we have three computer screens and no matter how you move your head, it all looks the same. This one was designed to not matter how you looked. The screen itself simulated the size of a movie theater but you couldn't really see the edges. Even the stars, lights, mountains, and any other objects/sensations could really make you think you're in the real thing, which obviously is the idea. The first two of our group crawled into the cockpit. Our tour guide talked the "crew" through the set up for take off. Next was the take off which was my favorite!! The crew advanced the throttles which gave an immediate pull forward and the sense of being pushed back in your seat like a real take off in an airliner, we had to hold on! The aircraft reached Vr and pitched into an 18 degree climb which is nothing like any sim I've ever been in. We climbed up to 3,000 before making a turn for landing. Our tour guide helped them set it up for final. Each person was given an opportunity to fly it. I will admit that he set it up to make it easy. All you had to do is keep it pretty much centered, take a little power out, watch the PAPI and then flair a little when it called out 20 ft. Everyone was able to land it including me! The landing itself didn't seem like a problem but you forget that airplane sits 30 feet in the air. Your nose gear is 15ft behind you and your mains even further. When I was comming into land, the mains touched down and for a few seconds you're wondering, "did the nose come down yet?.......THUD....there it is!!" LOL And if you're not carefull it's a real THUD too! They didnt spare the details. The brakes are on the toes just like in a cessna. We were asked to stop the airplane after each landing so when you step on the brakes, everyone who isn't sitting down kind of needs to brace for it or they may fall a little forward. So much of that simulator messes with your mind! If you were just sitting there blind folded, you wouldn't have known the difference. I loved it!!
After the next group got their turn in the simulator, we headed out to the flight operations portion. Each pilot goes through a security check just like at an airport but its thier own security. The pilot must check in with a computer finger print. If they dont do this within a specific amount of time, they will call you over the speakers and give you a few minutes to check in. If not, such as you fell asleep or in the bathroom too long, you will get booted off the flight and immediatly replaced by another crew...which apparently sucks! So never be late to work! After that, you go into this huge room with many computers where your flight's paperwork is waiting for you according to your flight number's last two numbers. This tells you your many things including your route for the day/week. Then you look over weather and take care of anything that needs to be done before heading out to the aircraft. I will mention that FedEx provides many necessities to its pilots including many halls of personal rooms that include a twin bed and night stand all to yourself to catch some much needed sleep or just to "take the edge off" as he put it. Each pilot also has thier own individual locker, is provided a recreation room and places to just relax. After that, its out to the airplane!
The pilots are provided with FedEx vans out to thier airplane. We all jumped in one of the vans to take a tour of the ramp. Now this is no oridinary ramp, its 42 acres of A310s, A300s, MD's, and 727s. Nothing but blue tails as far as you could see! The hustle and bustle was aparent with FedEx shipping crates comming and going from all parts of the ramp, there were sorting areas and weighing and lifting of crates onto the airplanes. As we were driving down the edge of the ramp, an A310 taxied in and parked just ahead. That was pretty neat to see up close! After the engines stopped, our tour guide which was the same chief pilot, got out of the van and talked to one of the ground crew who are in charge of the aircraft after the pilots depart. Once the pilots deplaned, we were signaled to come up on board! I just couldn't believe they were going to let us come up and see the airplane after it had just completed this flight. Package crates were still on the aircraft! We hiked the thirty feet up to check out the cockpit. I was the first one to take the left seat, can't miss out on an opportunity like this! It was Exactly like the simulator we flew! Talk about impressive! I was grinning from ear to ear and so was everyone else. We all had questions about how things worked and what happend during flights. The ground crew opened up the cargo bay which was right behind the net where we were standing. I believe it was around 10 feet or so wide so you could see the entire wing of the A310 and its engine spinning in the wind. The Net btw, helps hold back any cargo that happens to come loose, it can hold up to 9 G's and if I remember right, is made out of silk!
Most of us would have loved to stay in the airplane longer and dream of what it would be like to fly such a large airplane with so much power at your finger tips, but the ground crew had work to be done to prepair for the next flight (they're in charge of the major pre-flight) and most of us were getting hungry anyways. So we jumped back in our little van and left the massive Airbus and its 42 acres of brothers and sisters. Its got to be incredible how they keep up with everyone's airplanes and packages!
Our group talked about the amazing experience all the way home, it will not be something we will soon forget.
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!!!
Then they roll the fire turn onto the runway as you are breaking out of the clouds and you have to go missed. Which by then you are imbalanced on fuel, so now the co-pilots head is spinning trying to find the Single-Engine-Go-Around-Approach-Fuel Transfer check list. 
